Schwinn jumps in the 27.5-inch-wheel game for 2014 with its value-oriented, $750 Rocker 2. The butted aluminum frame features a tapered headtube and bowed seatstays for a smoother ride. It’s built with a 100mm-travel Suntour XCM fork, Shimano Alivio drivetrain, WTB Wolverine tires and Tektro HTC 330 hydraulic disc brakes. Schwinn will also offer a $650 Rocket 3 with mechanical brakes and a straight-gauge frame. An even more affordable version, the Rocket 4, can be had for $550. These bikes will be available by mid summer.

Hutchinson will offer its Toro, Cobra and Cougar models (the three tires on the left) in 27.5-inch diameters for 2014. Members of the Hutchinson United Ride team have also developed a new downhill tire (pictured on the right) that’s loosely based on the current 2.6-inch Squale model. The updated model (also called the Sqaule) comes in a more racy 2.3-inch width and has an updated tread pattern with a triple-compound casing. All models will cost $85 and the 26-inch version will be on sale in July, while the 27.5-inch models will be available in August.

Wide bars are all the rage, so Enve is increasing the width of its Sweep and Rizer models. Both bars now measure 740mm, yet still weigh a svelte 195 grams. Even better: the price remains the same as current models. If 740mm is still too narrow for you, Enve will continue to offer its 800mm-wide downhill bar, which weighs 235 grams. The Sweep is available now but the Rizer won’t hit shops until later this summer.

Starting in August, Manitou’s Marvel XC line will be available in all three wheels sizes: 26, 27.5 and 29, with travel ranging from 80 to120 millimeters. The company is also bringing back the Minute platform, which disappeared from the line in 2010. In 2014, the forks will be available in a 27.5 version with 120mm or 140mm of travel. Dealers (and tech savvy riders) will benefit from Manitou’s new fork-tuning kit, which includes shims, pistons and other hardware needed to tune its forks. Manitou claims it takes about 15 minutes to swap out shims, and you don’t even have to take the fork off the bike. The kit comes with tuning charts, recommended shim stacks, shims and spare parts. It can be used on all Manitou forks, except the Dorado. Speaking of the Dorado, the downhill fork will now also be available in a 27.5-inch size on both the Expert and Pro models.

Answer is launching a carbon handlebar series this summer dubbed the SL. A new construction process infuses the molding bladder with a proprietary material that Answer says pushes out more resin, making the bar more dense, but also lighter and stronger. The SL bar will be available in versions that are 660mm, 700mm and 720mm wide. It has a 4-degree upsweep and 8-degree backsweep, and comes in flat, 12.7mm or 25.4mm rises. The SL has a unidirectional carbon finish and weighs 170 grams for the flat version and 205 grams for the risers. Look for them in shops this summer, with prices ranging from $180 to $200. Answer also will offer a matching SL seat post that weighs just 209 grams (31.6/350). It will be offered in 27.2, 30.9, and 31.6 diameters in 350 and 400mm lengths. It too will be available this summer for $180.

After a brief hiatus in the United States, Mongoose returns as a consumer-direct, online brand with bikes ranging in cost from $135 to $2,600. In Park City, we got a sneak peek of the 2014 Boot'R. The 8-inch-travel bike uses Mongoose’s Free Drive suspension (an iteration of GT’s iDrive design) and comes with a RockShox Domain fork. It’s built with a SRAM X9/X7 drivetrain, X-Fusion shock, 800mm-wide bars, Kenda ExCavator 2.5-inch tires, Hayes Prime Sport brakes with 8-inch rotors. This is the brand’s top-of-the-line model and will sell for $2,600.

I was surprised by the firm, almost racy rear suspension on the 120mm-travel Ibis Ripley 29—I expected something plusher. In fact, the rear end felt so efficient that I only used the wide-open platform setting on the Fox rear shock. Although the bike handled well, it felt slightly unbalanced—the plush 140mm-travel Fox 34 fork didn’t always mesh with the firm rear suspension. Even so, the bike capably leveled rock gardens at speed. My test was cut short when a sharp rock slashed my sidewall, but I was left wanting to ride this bike again, and to see how it performs with a 120mm fork.

I had high expectations for Turner’s first carbon bike, and this 100mm-travel 29er still left me shaking my head in amazement. Like a modern XC race bike, the Czar pedals crisply and flies uphill. Its DW-Link suspension resists bobbing, but remains active while you pedal, so the tires claw for traction on loose rubble climbs. It’s not the stiffest XC bike I’ve ridden, but it’s rigid where it matters and tracked accurately and predictably. I can’t remember a 100mm-travel 29er that was this much fun to blast down descents—even with race tires. Turner’s Czar can (and should) be raced, but it’s less demanding than some full-blown competition machines. The frame geometry creates a playful ride, and the suspension is supple early in its stoke, like a good trail bike. By the end of my short test ride, I was feeling so comfortable and confident that I felt like I had been riding the Czar for months.

Baggy short liners are often so bad that many riders just pitch them in the rag bin and wear a good bib short underneath. Sugoi eliminates that waste by equipping its new RSX Suspension short a high-quality bib. Rather than standard Lycra, the liner is made of breathable mesh and comes with a bathroom flap just above chamois. Stacked loops on the bib serve as attachment points for the outer short—allowing riders to adjust the height in back. The short’s outer shell is made from lightweight, stretch fabric and a gusset crotch helps reduce saddle snags. A Boa waist adjustment helps riders dial in a good fit. The RSX should be available in January, for about $200.

This new helmet raises the bar for lightweight downhill helmets. The model passes DOT, ECE, EN1078 and CPSC standards, yet it weighs just 866 grams (1.9 pounds). Kali says the weight of the production model may increase by 60-70 grams when it adds a plusher interior padding, but that’s still incredibly light. Beneath the carbon shell, Kali uses a foam with zone-specific densities, as well as a layer of small pyramidal structures that the company claims redirect impact energy laterally to reduce shock to head. The two-piece visor is designed to break away on impact to reduce rotational forces. The Shiva comes with a removable GoPro mount, two sets of cheek pads, a replacement visor, and bag. The $450 helmet should be available this winter.

After an internal upheaval, Italian suspension maker Marzocchi returns with a new line of forks and shocks for 2014. The 320LCR is a 29er fork with 100mm of travel, which can be raised or lowered to 80mm or 120mm by using internal spacers. The air-sprung fork has a titanium topout spring, monoque carbon steerer and crown. The new DBC damping cartridge is semi sealed with self-regulating oil level. Marzocchi says it is lighter than the open-bath type of cartridge, but more reliable than a sealed design. The company will offer two models—one with a remote lockout and one without. Marzocchi claims the 320 weighs 1,600 grams and it will cost $1,000 when it becomes available in September.

The Overdrive is a full-frame version of the company’s popular PivLock. Designed for trail riding, the lightweight glasses come with three lenses. To swap between them, simply rotate the earpiece upward, which opens the hinged lower frame. The $240 glasses will be available in August.

Demand for high-end 26-inch wheels is so low that Reynolds will no longer supply retailers with the size. Instead, the company will offer just four carbon wheels: two 27.5 models and two 29ers. The highlights are the 27.5 AM, which is designed for enduro racing and aggressive trail riding, and the lightweight 29 XC. Both versions feature a redesigned proprietary hub with a six-pawl system that resides in the hub body—the ring gear is on the driver. The 11-speed-friendly hub is convertible to any of the common axle standards using included end caps. The $1,900 27.5 AM wheel weighs 1,650 grams and is designed to be stiff, fast and durable. It has a tubeless-ready, 31mm-wide (24mm hook to hook) rim that can handle a tire up to a 2.5-inches wide, and uses 28 DT Comp spokes. Designed for marathon and cross-country racers, the new 29 XC is the lightest 29er wheel Reynolds had built to date. The 1,525-gram model has a 24mm-wide rim (19mm internal) and costs $1,990.

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